Authorities: Men caused about $2.4M in damages to 2,000-year-old ruin

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Israeli Nature and Parks Authority worker Shani Dvash looks at a damaged section of Avdat National Park, an ancient Nabatean city dating back to the third century B.C, in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 5.

JERUSALEM — Israeli police say they have arrested two men for vandalizing an ancient desert ruin recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage site.

The over 2,000-year-old ruins of the Nabatean city of Avdat in southern Israel were defaced earlier this week. Israel's Nature and Parks Authority estimates the damage at around $2.4 million.

Police spokeswoman Salit Philipson says the two arrested are local Bedouins. She says police are investigating whether the vandalism was retaliation for the demolition by government authorities of a nearby Bedouin home on Sunday.

UNESCO, the U.N. body for cultural preservation, named Avdat a World Heritage site in 2005. The city was used for centuries by merchants linking Arabian trade routes with Mediterranean ports.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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